Combined tie extractor and plate remover for rail maintenance

ABSTRACT

A combined tie extractor and plate remover for railroad track maintenance includes a frame configured for movement along the track and having a first side corresponding to a first side of the track and a second side corresponding to a second side of the track, each side of the track having a corresponding rail. A rail lifting apparatus associated with the frame is configured for lifting a selected one of the first and second rails away from the track. A plate remover assembly associated with the frame is configured for grasping and removing tie plates associated with each side of the track from a selected tie. At least one tie extracting assembly is disposed on the frame for extracting the gripped tie transversely relative to the track in conjunction with the removal of the tie plates.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/810,975, filedMar. 16, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,858 entitled RAIL TIE REPLACEMENTMETHOD AND APPARATUS and Ser. No. 10/113,585 filed Mar. 29, 2002entitled PLATE HANDLING SYSTEM, both of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application relates generally to railway right-of-way maintenanceequipment of the type used to repair and maintain railroad track. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus forreplacing rail ties and for handling rail tie plates during rail tiereplacement.

Conventional railroad track consists of a plurality of spaced parallelwooden ties to which are each attached a pair of spaced rail tie plates.Each tie plate is configured to rest on the upper surface of the tie andincludes holes for receiving spikes or screws, as well as a canted seator a cradle formation for receiving the bottom of the steel rail. Sincetwo rails make up a railroad track, there is a pair of spaced tie plateson each tie. Some of the spikes are used to secure the tie plate on thetie and others are used to secure the base of the rail to the tie platecradle.

During track maintenance operations, it is common to periodically removeworn out or rotten ties. This is accomplished by first removing thespikes which hold the plates to the tie as well as to the rail. Railroadties are typically removed and replaced using specially designedmachines. Generally, the tie replacing machines roll along the railroadtrack and stop at a tie needing replacement. Most machines have anextending member that positions a gripping device normally relative tothe track and adjacent to an end of a rail tie to remove it. Thegripping device has vice-like jaws that clamp onto the end of the railtie (other machines have a pushing mechanism which pushes the loosenedtie transversely from the track). Then, the extending member extendsnormally away from the track, and thereby removes the tie from under therailroad track. The reverse operation is used to insert a new tie underthe track.

Although these prior machines are able to remove and replace therailroad ties, the machines are subject to several disadvantages. Onedisadvantage is that the extending members on the prior machines arerelatively unstable. On the prior machines, the extending members areattached to the railroad repair machine frame at the center of themembers. In operation, each member has an inner portion that isslidingly engaged within an outer portion and telescopes away from theframe to position the gripping mechanism relative to the rail tie. Thelength of the fully extended member places stress at the attachmentpoint where the end of the member meets the frame. This stress oftencauses the member to sag, work improperly or even break over time.Furthermore, some prior machines only had one extending member, whichwas attached to a pivot, in order to remove ties from the other side ofa track if necessary. These machines experienced additional stress atthe attachment point due to the excess movement and vibration on theextending member.

More recently developed machines include two extending members, one oneach side of the machine that are mounted along the same axis. A mainsupport member is situated in the middle of the machine frame andcontains the two extending members which are slidingly engaged with eachother. This innermost member extends in an opposite direction from thenext outer member. In operation, one extending member slides outwardwithin the main support member, and away from the machine frame, towardsthe location of the rail tie.

The dual in-line extending member design increases efficiency andovercomes the stress experienced by the single pivoting extending memberdesign. These machines can remove a rail tie from either side of a trackwithout pivoting, however stress problems still occur when the extendingmember is completely extended away from the frame. The full extensionplaces most of the weight of the extending member on the minimal contactpoint between the extending member and the main support member. Stressis created on the contact point between the main support member andextending member, and failure results.

As the tie is extracted, the loosened tie plates either fall into therail bed or ballast, or are retained on the removed tie. Conventionalpractice is to manually remove the plates and throw them off to the sideof the ballast so that they do not interfere with the replacement of thenew tie. Once the new tie is inserted under the raised track, the platesmust be reinserted in the appropriate position to support the rail andfor re-spiking.

To avoid on the job injuries, especially those involved with handlingtie plates, which typically weigh approximately 18-40 pounds and areheavy to manipulate, railways have attempted to mechanize the tiereplacement and plate placement process as much as possible. One attempthas been to provide a mechanism which grips the plates and secures themto the rail as the tie is removed from beneath the plates. This systemhas not been widely accepted by the railroads because of its relativelycomplicated mechanism, and because in many instances the insertion ofthe new tie will cause particles of railway ballast to be retained ontop of the tie and interfere with the repositioning of the tie plates.These conventional mechanisms have no way to remove unwanted ballastparticles from the top surface of the tie.

Another drawback of conventional mechanized plate placement devices isthat their speed is relatively slow and they cannot keep up with theother operations of the rail maintenance gang. Using manual removal andplacement of tie plates, the tie replacement process typically operatesat a rate of about 15 ties per minute. Conventional mechanized plateremoval devices operate in the range of 3 to 5 ties per minute. At thispoint, this rate of production is unacceptable to the railroads.

Thus, there is a need for improved rail maintenance machinery whichaddresses the above-listed drawbacks by synchronizing the operations oftie extraction and plate handling. In addition, there is a need for animproved tie plate handling apparatus which addresses the problem of tieplates getting in the way of the tie extraction process. Another need inthe industry is an improved plate handling system which reduces themanual handling of plates during the tie replacement process.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-listed goals are met or exceeded by the present combined tieextractor and plate remover, which features the ability to grasp tieplates independently of the tie extraction procedure. In this manner,the tie plates do not interfere with the extraction and/or subsequentinsertion of ties. Also, the tie plate remover assembly is preferablymovable relative to the main machine frame, which allows the removed tieplates to be released remotely from the location of the tie extraction.In addition, when two non-axially aligned tie gripping extending membersare provided on the frame, the movable tie plate remover assembly may beselectively movable to reference points associated with each of theextending members for operation on either side of the frame or eitherrail.

More specifically, a combined tie extractor and plate remover forrailroad track maintenance includes a frame configured for movementalong the track and having a first side corresponding to a first side ofthe track and a second side corresponding to a second side of the track,each side of the track having a corresponding rail. A rail liftingapparatus associated with the frame is configured for lifting a selectedone of the first and second rails away from the track. A plate removerassembly associated with the frame is configured for grasping andremoving tie plates associated with each side of the track from aselected tie. At least one tie extracting assembly is disposed on theframe for extracting the gripped tie transversely relative to the trackin conjunction with the removal of the tie plates.

In another embodiment, a method for extracting ties and removing platesfrom a railroad track having a first and a second rail, includesgripping both tie plates located upon a tie to be extracted using a tieplate gripping assembly, lifting one or both of the rails of the trackat a selected location of a tie extraction, pulling the tie plates awayfrom the tie, grasping an end of the tie to be extracted adjacent thelocation where the rail is lifted, the grasping being performed by a tiegripping and extraction assembly, pulling the grasped tie transverselyrelative to said track from the point where the rail was lifted, andreleasing the gripped plates.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a rail tie extraction apparatusincorporating the present plate removing assembly, shown fragmentary;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the apparatus of FIG. 1showing the plate removing assembly with portions removed for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the present plate removing assembly;

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the present plate removing assemblyconnected to the present rail tie extraction apparatus when working on afirst side of the track;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the present plate removing assemblyconnected to the present rail tie extraction apparatus when working on asecond side of the track; and

FIG. 6 is a hydraulic schematic of the present control system for theplate removing assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, a rail tie extraction apparatus incorporatingthe present invention is generally designated 10 and is configured formovement (preferably, but not exclusively, self-propelled) along arailroad track 12. As is well known in the art, the track 12 includesfirst and second rails 14, 16 which are connected to ties 18 using tieplates 20 and spikes 22 (plates and spikes shown in FIG. 3). As is wellknown, the ties 18 are typically wood, but are also made of concrete insome applications. The present application is concerned with track laidupon wooden ties 18, which periodically need replacement due to naturaldeterioration.

Furthermore, the apparatus 10 includes a frame 24 supported on aplurality of wheels 26 so that the frame can be driven along the rails14, 16. The frame 24 supports a source of motive power such as aninternal combustion engine 27 which also powers a fluid power systemused for operating the various rail maintenance equipment found on, orassociated with, the frame 24. In the preferred apparatus 10, the fluidpower system is hydraulic, however other fluid power systems arecontemplated, but are less desirable. An operator's cab 28 is mounted tothe frame 24 and includes a control system 30 (best seen in FIG. 6). Asis known in the art, a main component of the control system 30 is aProgrammable Logic Controller (PLC).

The frame 24 has a first side 32 corresponding to a first side 34 of thetrack 12 and associated with the rail 14, and a second side 36corresponding to a second side 38 of the track and associated with therail 16. In addition, the frame 24 has a first or front end 40 and asecond or rear end 42. In the preferred embodiment, the operator's cab28 is situated nearer to the rear end 42 of the apparatus 10 and enablesthe operator to observe and control repair operations on either rail 14or 16. However, other locations for the cab 28 are contemplated. Also,an important feature of the present invention (seen schematically inFIG. 4) is that a first extending member 44 and a second extendingmember 46 are attached to the frame 24 in a non-axial relationship toeach other, and each control the positioning of a corresponding grippingmechanism 48 relative to the plurality of the rail ties 18. In thepreferred embodiment, the first and second extending members, 44, 46,are positioned directly adjacent to each other, but it is alsocontemplated that first and second extending members may be positionedin spaced apart orientation at other locations along the frame 24.

As is known on other such rail maintenance equipment, a rail liftingapparatus 49 is provided to lift a selected one of the rails 14, 16 inclose proximity to the tie 18 selected for replacement. The particularrail 14, 16 which is lifted is the side of the track 12 from which thetie 18 will be extracted. It is this same side of the track 12 fromwhich the spikes 22 were previously removed from the plates 20 by otherequipment as is known in the art.

The extending members 44, 46 are configured to telescope longitudinallyfrom the frame 24 such that when the gripping mechanism 48 engages theend of a selected tie 18, the telescoping movement pulls the tietransversely away from the track 12. An advantage of the presentapparatus 10 is that a plate removing assembly, generally designated 50is provided to automatically grasp and retrieve the previously de-spikedtie plates 20 in conjunction with the tie extraction. In theapplication, tie extraction is understood to mean either pulling of theties using a gripping mechanism as described herein, or pushing the tiestransversely relative to the track 12.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the plate removing assembly 50 includesa remover frame or buggy 52 supported on rail wheels 54 for movementalong the track 12 relative to the apparatus 10. A front end 56 of theremover frame 52 is associated with the front end 40 of the frame 24,and a rear end 58 of the remover frame is associated with the rear end42 of the frame 24. The operational details of the plate removerassembly 50 are provided in commonly-assigned Ser. No. 10/113,585, filedMar. 29, 2002, which is incorporated by reference. While the plateremover assembly 50 is preferred as described above, it is contemplatedthat the benefits of the present invention may be equally achieved byemploying other conventionally known technology for grasping andhandling plates, including, but not limited to magnetic apparatus, airsuction devices, or other devices not employing mechanical gripping jawsas described above. It will be understood that “plate removing”encompasses all of these technologies.

Basically, the tie plate remover assembly 50 includes at least one andpreferably two subframes 60, each with an associated plate grippingassembly 62, including opposing plate gripping jaws 64. The jaws 64 movereciprocally under fluid power control in the direction of the rails 14,16. In addition, a retracting mechanism 66 is provided to pull thegripped tie plates 20 away from the tie 18. A subframe 60 including aplate gripping assembly 62 and opposing jaws 64 is provided for eachrail 14, 16 so that both plates 20 located on a single tie 18 may beremoved prior to the extraction of the tie from the track 12.

Upon operator actuation of the control system 30 which activates a plategripping control system 68 (represented schematically by hydraulicmanifolds), the gripping jaws 64 come together about the forward andrear edges of a selected tie plate 20 and grasp it under fluid power.Next, the retracting mechanism 66 moves the gripped plate away from thetie 18. Preferably, the gripped plate is moved to an area 70 between therails 14, 16, however it is contemplated that the plate may be moved toanother area away from the movement of the tie 18 as it is beingextracted.

It is contemplated that the plate remover assembly 50 is connectable ina fixed position relative to the frame 24, using welded or otherwisefastened bracket members (not shown) connecting the respectivecomponents. However, in the preferred embodiment, the present tieextraction apparatus 10 includes a locating system, generally designated72, which controls the movement of the plate remover assembly 50relative to the frame 24. The system 72 preferably takes the form of apair of retractable tethers 74, 76, each of which is connected at a hookend 78 to a respective eyelet 80 fixed to each of the front and rearends 56, 58 of the remover frame 52. While the preferred tethers 74, 76are belts or straps made of synthetic fabric selected for strength,durability and resistance to stretching, metal cables, chains or othersuch retractable tether materials are also contemplated.

Opposite the hook ends 78, each of the tethers 74, 76 is connected to arespective winch or powered winder 82 (best seen in FIG. 6 anddesignated 82F and 82R) affixed to the tie extractor apparatus 10,preferably on the frame 24. Energization of the winch 82 connected tothe front tether 74 to retract the tether will pull the plate removerassembly 50 toward the front 40 of the frame 24, and energization of thewinch 82 connected to the rear tether 76 to retract the tether will pullthe assembly 50 toward the rear end 42 of the frame 24. Upon theenergization of one of the winches 82, the control system 30 isconfigured to exert a braking force on the plate remover assembly 50 tosteady its movement relative to the frame 24.

An important function of the locating system 72 is the positioning ofthe plate remover assembly 50 at a designated location relative to theframe 24, and specifically relative to the first and second extendingmembers 44, 46. Proper alignment of the plate remover assembly 50 isimportant so that the plates 20 of a designated tie 18 can be removed inconjunction with the tie extraction. Thus, the locating system 72 isconfigured for determining the location of the plate remover assembly 50relative to a reference point corresponding to the tie grippingmechanism 48 and for moving the plate remover assembly to the referencepoint.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, to achieve this location objective, inthe preferred embodiment, at least one of the tethers 74, 76 is providedwith at least two linearly spaced indicators 84. The exact nature and/orcomposition of the indicators 84 may vary widely to suit theapplication, but in function the indicators must be capable of beingsensed by at least one sensor unit 86. In the preferred embodiment, thesensor unit 86 is a proximity switch and the indicators 84 are metallicplates. Since the plates 84 are secured to a nonconductive tethermaterial, the location of the plates on the tether 74, 76 provides thecontrol system 30 with an indication of the position of the plateremover assembly 50 relative to the tie extraction apparatus 10. Thecontrol system 30 is configured to receive signals from the sensor unit86 and to perform a counting function to determine how many indicatorplates 84, correspondingly how much of the tether length, and ultimatelyhow much the assembly 50, has moved relative to the extraction apparatus10.

To effect accurate positioning of the remover assembly 50, the sensorunit 86 is connected through the control system 30 to at least one andpreferably both of the winches 82 to retract or extend the respectivetethers 74, 76 as is necessary to properly locate the plate removerassembly. Further, the indicator plates 84 are placed on the tether 74at a designated spacing which may vary to suit the application, but inthe preferred embodiment is 18 inches. In addition, a pair of removerindicators 88, 90 are provided on the front tether 74 in a locationclosest to the front 56 of the remover frame 52. The remover indicators88, 90 are preferably of the same construction of the indicators 84, butare spaced differently. Specifically, the remover indicators 88, 90 arespaced apart a distance “Q” which corresponds to the spacing of therespective tie extractor extending members 44, 46. Further, a pair ofsensor units 86 are preferably provided, designated 86R and 86L,corresponding to the side (right or left) of the frame 24 at which thetie extraction operation will take place.

Since the extending members 44, 46 are mounted to the frame 24 inside-by-side relationship to each other, the orientation, or therespective reference point P, of the remover frame 52 for plate grippingand removal will be different depending on which of the extendingmembers 44, 46 is in use. Referring now to FIG. 4, when the extendingmember 44 is operating (on the left side of the track 12) once bothsensor units 86R, 86L are triggered by the corresponding indicatorplates 88, 90, the control system PLC will recognize that the removerframe 52 has reached the appropriate point P. Thus, the control system30 will cause the remover frame 52 to move forward until the sensors86R, 86L encounter the remover indicators 88, 90, designating that theproper position for removing the tie plates 20 from the tie has beenachieved.

Referring now to FIG. 5, when the extending member 46 is operating (onthe right side of the track 12), only the sensor 86L will be triggeredby the remover indicator 88 after the control system 30 has moved theremover frame 52 to the adjusted reference point P′. If desired, thesensors 86L, 86R may be programmed to be triggered by the indicator 90.The relative displacement of the sensors 86L, 86R reflects thedifference in the operational reference point P of the remover frame 52associated with each of the extending members 44, 46.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the control system 30 is configured foroperating the tie gripping and extraction apparatus 44, 46 and 48, aswell as the plate remover assembly 50, and is schematically shown. Aswill be appreciated by those skilled in the art, as is typical with railmaintenance equipment, the majority of the functions described hereinare actuated by fluid power systems, and preferably hydraulic fluidpower. It is contemplated that the ordinary skilled practitioner willhave sufficient knowledge to implement the functions described herein,which are achieved using commercially available hydraulic components. Assuch, the underlying hydraulic and, where applicable, related electroniccircuitry have not been described in detail.

The control system 30 includes a main control panel 100 located in thecab 28. Both the tie gripping and pulling mechanism 44, 46, 48(collectively referred to as 102 and the plate removing assembly 50 areconnected to the control panel so that the respective functions can becoordinated. From a functional standpoint, it is important to thepresent invention that the tie gripping and extraction assembly 102 isactivated upon the grasping of the tie plates 20 by the plate removerassembly 50. To increase the efficiency of the rail maintenanceoperation, it is important to prevent the tie plates from being draggedfrom the rail bed along with the extracted tie 18. Thus, the rail tieextraction apparatus 10 is constructed, and the control system 30 isconfigured to sequentially operate the components 50, 102 so that oncethe plates 20 are grasped and displaced from the ties, the operator thenmanually initiates the ties being pulled from the track 12.

In addition, as described above, the control system 30 is configured tolocate the remover frame 52 relative to the first and second extendingmembers 44, 46 so that the plates 20 are automatically removed from thecorrect selected tie 18. The particular selected extending member 44, 46is relevant to the side of the track 12 from which the tie 18 is beingextracted.

In the event the remover frame 52 is movable relative to the frame 24,the remover frame 52 is provided with a pair of hold down cylinders 104which temporarily stabilize the buggy relative to the track 12 byextending a piston rod 106 onto the plate remover frame to keep it onthe rail 16. A buggy hold down valve 108 is connected to the controlpanel 100 and to both cylinders 104 for controlling their operation uponcommencement of a tie replacement. As is known in the art, it ispreferable to include a pressure relief valve 110 in the circuitincluding the hold down valve 108, and in this application the valve 110is set at 550 psi. The precise setting may vary to suit the application.

To bring the remover frame or buggy 52 forward toward the sensor units86, the winch 82F located nearer the front end 40 of the frame 24 isactivated. In the preferred embodiment, the winches 82 are hydraulicallypowered by a hydraulic motor 112 under the control of a forward controlvalve 114, which in turn is under the control of the control panel 100.Since the movement of the remover frame 52 must be precisely controlled,the winch motor 112 is also equipped with a brake 116 to preventunwanted rotation of the motor, and ultimately, the winch 82F. A winchbrake valve 118 applies the brake 116 when directed to by the controlpanel 100, usually upon the desired disposition of the remover frame 52,as triggered by the sensor unit 86.

As a further control on the movement of the remover frame 52, to bothhold the frame in place by pressure on the rear tether 76, and also tomove the frame in the reverse direction, the control system 30 generatesa reverse biasing force in the form of a separate reverse motor 120operated by a motor control valve 122 for powering the second winch 82R.In similar fashion to the forward motor 112, a reverse winch brake 124is provided for stopping unwanted rotation of the motor 120 and thewinch 82R. A rear winch brake valve 126 controls the reverse winch brake124 and is under the control of the control panel 100. To move theremover frame forward, or to the left in FIG. 6, the winch 82F isenergized, which, when turned by the motor 112 pulls on the tether 74.At the same time, the tether 76 unwinds, which causes the motor 120 torotate. However, a flow control valve 128 controls the flow of hydraulicfluid to the motor 120 and exerts a resistance force upon the motor, ineffect braking the motor so that the winch 82R does not excessivelyunwind the tether 76. Since there is no energizing flow of fluid to themotor 120, the flow control 128 is configured to naturally create backpressure on 120 and that keeps the tether 76 taught. Thus, the flowcontrol 128 meters flow out of the motor 120 without actually turningthe motor on.

As necessary, the reverse winch brake 124 is applied to preventexcessive unwinding of the tether 76 from the rear winch 82R. Theprocess is reversed when the buggy 52 needs to be moved closer to therear end 42 of the frame 24. In that situation, the reverse winch 82Rand its associated motor 120 provides the main motive force, and theappropriate flow control 128 provides the biasing control force.

Also, it is preferred that flow control valves 128 are provided for thecircuits pressurizing the winch motors 112, 120 as well as the hold downcylinders 104. Also, signal connections 130 between the control panel100 and the valves 108, 114, 118, 122 and 126 are shown schematicallyand it is contemplated that the valves may be controlled electronically,hydraulically, individually or in prescribed sequences, depending on theapplication, as is known in the art. A feature of the present inventionis that the plates 20 are released by the gripping jaws 64 of the plateremoving assembly 50 as soon as the tie 18 is fully retracted from thetrack 12.

In operation, it will be seen that the tie pulling apparatus 10 equippedwith the plate removing assembly 50 extracts a tie 18 by first beinglocated at a tie to be removed. The plate removing assembly 50 is thenmoved toward the selected tie 18 by the control assembly 30, and theremover frame 52 is accurately located through the operation of theindicators 84 and the sensor units 86R, 86L. The tie plates 20 on theselected tie 18 are engaged by the gripping jaws 64. Next, the raillifting apparatus 49 is employed to lift either one or both of the rails14, 16 on the side of the track from which the tie 18 will be removed.The plates 20 are then detached from the tie and moved away from thetie. As the tie plates 20 are being removed, the extending member 44, 46and its associated gripping mechanism 48 grip an end of the tie 18 andpull it transversely from the track 12. As the tie 18 is pulled away,the plates 20 are released by the gripping jaws 64 and fall to the trackbetween the rails 14, 16, or wherever designated.

While specific embodiments of the combined tie extractor and plateremover for rail maintenance of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made thereto without departing from theinvention in its broader aspects and as set forth in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A combined tie extractor and plate remover formaintenance on a railroad track, comprising: a frame configured formovement along the track and having a first side corresponding to afirst side of the track and a second side corresponding to a second sideof the track, each side of the track having a corresponding rail; a raillifting apparatus associated with said frame and configured for liftinga selected one of the first and second rails away from the track; aplate remover assembly associated with said frame and configured forgrasping and removing tie plates associated with each side of the trackfrom a selected tie; and at least one tie extracting assembly disposedon said frame for extracting the tie transversely relative to the trackin conjunction with the removal of the tie plates; wherein said plateremover assembly is movable on the track relative to said frame in adirection parallel to the track.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 furtherincluding a control mechanism connected to said plate remover assemblyand said at least one tie extracting assembly for activating said atleast one tie extracting assembly upon the grasping of the tie plates bysaid plate remover assembly.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said atleast one extracting assembly further includes gripping means disposedon each of said sides of said frame and configured for grasping railties located in the track and extending means attached to said frame,said extending means including a first extending member associated withthe first side of the track and a second extending member associatedwith the second side of the track, said extending members mounted tosaid frame in a non-axial relationship to each other and configured forpositioning said gripping means relative to a selected rail tie locatedon the corresponding side of the track.
 4. A combined tie extractor andplate remover for maintenance on a railroad track, comprising: a frameconfigured for movement along the track and having a first sidecorresponding to a first side of the track and a second sidecorresponding to a second side of the track, each side of the trackhaving a corresponding rail; a rail lifting apparatus associated withsaid frame and configured for lifting a selected one of the first andsecond rails away from the track; a plate remover assembly associatedwith said frame and configured for grasping and removing tie platesassociated with each side of the track from a selected tie; at least onetie extracting assembly disposed on said frame for extracting the tietransversely relative to the track in conjunction with the removal ofthe tie plates; and a locating system for locating said plate removerassembly at the selected tie; wherein said plate remover assembly ismovable on the track relative to said frame.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4wherein said locating system is configured for determining the locationof said plate remover assembly relative to a reference pointcorresponding to said at least one extraction assembly, and moves saidplate remover to said reference point.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5wherein said locating system includes a tether connecting said plateremover assembly to said frame, a plurality of linearly spacedindicators on said tether, a sensing mechanism for sensing saidindicators and generating a location signal of said plate removerassembly which triggers a tether controller for adjusting the length ofsaid tether and accordingly adjusts the position of said plate removerassembly.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said tether is taken fromthe group comprising belts, straps, cables and chains.
 8. The apparatusof claim 6 wherein said sensing mechanism is configured for determiningthe distance of said plate remover assembly from said reference point,and for controlling said tether controller for adjusting the position ofsaid plate remover assembly relative to said reference point.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 8 wherein said at least one tie extracting assemblyfurther includes gripping means disposed on each of said sides of saidframe and configured for grasping rail ties located in the track andextending means attached to said frame, said extending means including afirst extending member associated with the first side of the track and asecond extending member associated with the second side of the track,said extending members mounted to said frame in a non-axial relationshipto each other and configured for positioning said gripping meansrelative to a selected rail tie located on the corresponding side of thetrack, wherein said sensing mechanism includes first and secondproximity switches for establishing said reference point for each ofsaid first and second extending members.
 10. The apparatus of claim 6wherein said tether controller further includes at least one motor forretracting and extending said tether, and a biasing mechanism forexerting a biasing force counter to said at least one motor.
 11. Acombined tie extractor and plate remover for maintenance of a railroadtrack, comprising: a frame configured for movement along the track andhaving a first side corresponding to a first side of the track and asecond side corresponding to a second side of the track, each side ofthe track having a corresponding rail; a rail lifting apparatusassociated with said frame for lifting a selected one of the first andsecond rails away from the track; a plate remover assembly associatedwith said frame and configured for grasping and removing tie platesassociated with each side of the track from a selected tie; a pair ofnon-axially aligned extending members, each associated with a respectiveone of said sides of said frame and each being provided with acorresponding gripping and extracting assembly configured for extractingone of the ties of the track adjacent the lifted rail transverselyrelative to the track once the tie plates have been removed; and alocating system configured for moving said plate remover assemblyrelative to said extending members, said system having a sensing systemconfigured for creating a first operational reference point for locatingsaid plate remover assembly adjacent a first one of said extendingmembers, and a second operational reference point for locating saidplate remover assembly adjacent a second one of said extending members.12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a control systemconfigured for selectively activating one of said first and secondextending members so that said first extending member pulls ties from aright side of said frame, and said second extending member pulls tiesfrom a left side of said frame, said sensing system includes a firstsensor for determining the position of said plate remover assemblyrelative to said first extending member, and a second sensor fordetermining the position of said plate remover assembly relative to saidsecond extending member.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein saidlocating system includes a tether connecting said plate remover assemblyto said frame and having a plurality of linearly spaced indicators, andsaid first and second sensors are configured for determining theposition of said plate remover assembly relative to said referencepoint.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 further including a tethercontroller having at least one motor for retracting and extending saidtether, and a biasing mechanism for exerting a biasing force counter tosaid at least one motor.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said tieplate gripping assembly is configured for grasping a selected tie plate,pulling the plate away from the rail and away from the tie, andsubsequently releasing the plate.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 whereinsaid sensing system is configured for controlling said tie plategripping assembly regarding the location of where the tie plates arereleased.
 17. A method for extracting ties and removing plates from arailroad track having a first and a second rail, comprising: gripping afront edge and a rear edge of both tie plates located upon a tie to beextracted using a tie plate gripping assembly; lifting at least one ofthe rails of the track at a selected location of a tie extraction;pulling the tie plates away from the tie; grasping an end of the tie tobe extracted adjacent the location where the rail is lifted, saidgrasping being performed by a tie gripping and extraction assembly;pulling the grasped tie transversely relative to said track from thepoint where the rail was lifted; and releasing said gripped plates. 18.The method of claim 17 wherein said plates are released upon the pullingof the grasped tie away from the track.
 19. A method for extracting tiesand removing plates from a railroad track having a first and a secondrail, comprising: gripping both tie plates located upon a tie to beextracted using a tie plate gripping assembly; lifting at least one ofthe rails of the track at a selected location of a tie extraction;pulling the tie plates away from the tie; grasping an end of the tie tobe extracted adjacent the location where the rail is lifted, saidgrasping being performed by a tie gripping and extraction assembly;pulling the grasped tie transversely relative to said track from thepoint where the rail was lifted; and releasing said gripped plates;wherein said tie plate gripping assembly is movable along said trackrelative to said tie gripping and extraction assembly, and said methodincludes locating said plate gripping assembly adjacent said tiegripping and extraction assembly after said rail lifting step.
 20. Themethod of claim 19 wherein said tie gripping and extraction assemblyincludes two non-axial extending members, one associated which each railof the track, said location of said plate gripping assembly furtherincludes locating said assembly to a first location for operation on aside of the track associated with the first rail, and locating saidassembly to a second location for operation on a side of the trackassociated with the second rail.